


Those Damn Blue Eyes

by NerdyStace



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Rhodey just wants him to be happy, Soulmates, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark is insecure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 08:09:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14374554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyStace/pseuds/NerdyStace
Summary: Tony kept his head down as he walked to his next class. While it was harder to navigate his way to class it made it easier to avoid eye contact with other people. And if he were being honest making eye contact was the last thing Tony wanted to do.Or the soulmate au no one asked for





	Those Damn Blue Eyes

Tony kept his head down as he walked to his next class. While it was harder to navigate his way to class it made it easier to avoid eye contact with other people. If he were being honest, making eye contact was the last thing Tony had wanted to do.  
“Tones wait up,” A very familiar voice called out. Tony stopped and lifted his head a little. He smiled as James Rhodes, or Rhodey as Tony liked to call him, caught up with him. Rhodey was Tony’s closest friend at school and one of the few people he’d ever make eye contact with.  
The first time Tony and Rhodey had made eye contact scared the crap out of Tony. He loved Rhodey, he really did, but he didn’t want him to be stuck with Tony as a soulmate.  
“Hello Honeybear, getting out of class?” Tony asked. Rhodey nodded.  
“Yeah, next one is for a while. How about you?”  
“I got like about an hour,” Tony said after checking the time on his phone. Rhodey grinned and grabbed Tony’s hand.  
“Good. You can come with me to the café,” Rhodey said. Tony smiled and let Rhodey lead him to the on campus café.  
Tony had no idea what made Rhodey want to be his friend, but he wasn’t complaining. He knew he’d be totally lost with his Rhodey. Even though Tony was a little shit at the beginning, who are we kidding? He still was one, Rhodey stuck by him the whole time. Even when Tony had gotten them into situations neither of them wanted to repeat.  
“So why are we going to the café?” Tony finally asked.  
“You look like you’re dead on your feet so we’re getting you a little snack to give you some energy,” Rhodey explained.  
“Can I get some coffee?” Tony asked excitedly. Rhodey stopped walking and pretended to think about the question.  
“Please Rhodey! One cup just to get me through the day!” Tony begged. Rhodey sighed in exasperation and looked down at Tony.  
“Fine, but only one cup. Anymore and I’m taking Dum-E away from you for a week,” Rhodey said sternly.  
“That’s not fair. Dum-E is my main guy,” Tony whined.  
“I thought I was your main guy. Am I not good enough for you now Tones. Have I been so easily replaced by a robot,” Rhodey said in fake offense. Tony laughed.  
“Don’t worry platypus! No one or nothing could ever replace you,” Tony reassured. Rhodey fondly rolled his eyes and continued the walk to the café. Tony let out a small laugh and jogged to catch up to him.  
“Wait up!” Tony called out.

When the two finally reached the café Tony’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. He swore that Rhodey was the only one that had this effect on him.  
“Here I’ll order,” Rhodey said. Tony nodded and took a table in the corner near the window. He looked around at the other students who were currently in the café as he waited for Rhodey’s return. He looked at one of the nearby tables to see a blond guy on a laptop and a textbook in front of him.  
Blondie looked up from his textbook in annoyance. As he did Tony could see him slowly losing his mind. He let his eyes do a scan of the café and Tony froze as they made eye contact. Tony wanted to look away, but at the same time he was entranced by blondie’s blue eyes.  
Beautiful, Tony thought.  
He’s pretty cute  
Tony jumped hearing a voice in his head that wasn’t his. He looked back at blondie who flashed him a quick grin, even though he looked a bit shocked himself. Tony gave him a shaky smile in return. Before blondie could do anything else Rhodey came to the table and sat in front of Tony.  
Tony breathed out in relief now that there was a barrier between him and blondie. Rhodey looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He didn’t have to say anything for Tony to understand the unspoken question.  
Everything okay?  
Tony shook his head. He took a sip of his coffee before looking back at Rhodey.  
“I-I uh made eye contact with the blonde guy behind you and heard a voice in my head,” Tony explained quietly. Rhodey immediately looked at the guy behind him. Tony was more than relieved that blondie had already looked back down at his book. Rhodey turned back around and took a long sip of coffee.  
“Steve Rogers,” Rhodey sighed as he put his cup down. Tony looked at him confused.  
“His name is Steve Rogers. He’s in my Chemistry I class. As far as I know he’s a good guy,” Rhodey said. Tony nodded and snuck a quick look at blondie, or Steve. It was weird. He had just learned the name, but it seemed fit him perfectly.  
“He’s my soulmate,” Tony said, slowly and quietly. Tony wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He never thought he would have one, let alone find his. His father, Howard, made it very clear that fuck ups like Tony would never have a soulmate. Yet his was standing about ten feet away.  
“I have a soulmate.”  
“Always knew you’d have one.”  
“No Rhodey you don’t get it. Tony Stark isn’t supposed to have a soulmate. No one is supposed to be stuck with me, one of the worst people on campus, as their soulmate. The universe or whatever controls this shit is not that cruel.”  
“You deserve a soulmate Tones.”  
“Platypus, it appears you haven’t been paying attention our whole friendship because this is me we’re talking about. The guy who chugged four cups of coffee in one hour. As well as the guy who managed to drink enough at one party to get alcohol poisoning. And the party had just started!”  
“Not your best moment,” Rhodey said quietly.  
“Exactly. No one on earth deserves to be stuck with me.”  
“Tony. You need to calm. You’re not one of the worst people on campus. You’re amazing Tones. Anyone with half a brain would realize that. Now why don’t you just take a few deep breaths. And when you finally regain your breath you should go over and talk to him,” Rhodey suggested. Any thoughts Tony had left immediately as he looked at Rhodey.  
“No.” Tony shut that suggestion down quickly. Tony didn’t know anything about Steve, but he knew he didn’t deserve the absolute mess that is Tony Stark in his life. Rhodey rolled his eyes and turned around.  
“Rhodey stop. What are – “  
“Hey Steve.” Rhodey cut off Tony in order to get blondies attention. Steve looked up at him. While he did look a bit confused he still gave him a polite smile.  
“Uh hey James. How’s it going?” He asked.  
“I’m great. Hey, have you finished that project for chemistry yet?” Rhodey asked. Steve grinned sheepishly as a faint blush appeared, a sight Tony was happy he got to witness. He had no idea how Steve could go from looking like an intimidating body guard to an adorable dork in .5 seconds.  
“That’s what I’ve been trying to work on for like the past hour,” He lifted the textbook which turned out to be a chemistry one, “But science was never really my strong suit.”  
“Maybe Tony here could help. He’s the best there is when it comes to science,” Rhodey said as he gestured to Tony. Tony could feel his face heating up, partly because of Rhodey’s praise, but also because of Steve’s eyes flickering over at him.  
“I don’t know,” Steve said as he looked back down at his stuff, “I don’t want him to get annoyed or anything. I’m not lying when I say I’m terrible at Chemistry.”  
“Oh he won’t mind. Right Tones?” Rhodey asked looking at Tony. Tony wanted nothing more than to wipe the tease grin he had on his face. Instead he pushed sent him a small glare before looking at the wall behind Steve.  
“I wouldn’t mind,” He answered. Tony knew that was a lie and wanted to take it back immediately. Of course he would mind! But the happy smile Steve had, that made him look like an overgrown puppy, made Tony stop himself from taking it back.  
“Thanks it means a lot! Are you free right now?” Steve asked. Tony immediately deflated looking at the time.  
“Shit!” Tony quickly grabbed his stuff and stood up.  
“I’m almost late, but I’ll meet up with you later!” Tony said loudly as he ran out of the café leaving the two guys and his coffee behind.  
It wasn’t until he safely got to class he realized he didn’t get Steve’s number. Tony groaned and slammed his head on the desk.  
Nice going Stark.  
He ignored his thoughts and did his best to collect himself as his professor walked in.  
He really should have known it was a lost cause. The whole lecture Tony couldn’t focus no matter how hard he tried. He was lucky it was a subject he was actually good at or else he’d be screwed. It wasn’t until his phone rang after the lecture that he started to feel a bit better.

Unknown: Hey, how do you feel about meeting up at the library at 7?  
Unknown: It’s Steve btw. James gave me your number when you rushed out earlier.

Tony rolled his eye. Of course Rhodey would do something like that. Tony would have to give him something later as thanks. But he forgot that thought as he replied to Steve.

Tony: Yeah sorry about that. Library tonight sounds good. Would it be a problem if I bring Rhodey?

Tony bit his lip. Now he really was going to owe Rhodey one. Tony knew it was a long shot, but he at least had to attempt to get Rhodey there. Or else it’d just be him and Steve and Tony would not allow that. No way was he going to risk being alone and making eye contact with a guy, who may or may not be his soulmate. There was absolutely no way Tony was going there without Rhodey. 

Steve: No problem at all! See you later tonight.

Tony smiled, but quickly stopped. He had no idea how a simple text from Steve could make him so happy. He didn’t have any relationship with Steve and he was already hooked. He really need Rhodey to be there tonight. He quickly made his way back to their dorm.  
“Rhodey!” Tony shouted as he walked in. He ignored the small feeling to laugh as his best friend almost jumped out of his bed. Rhodey sat back up and glared at him.  
“Yes Tony?” He asked. Tony grinned at him as he made his way over to his bed.  
“What are you doing tonight?”  
“Nothing that I can think of. Why? You got something planned?” He questioned. Tony nodded.  
“How do you feel about accompanying me to the library tonight? Say seven?” Tony asked. Rhodey stared at him, one eyebrow raised.  
“Why such a specific time?”  
“no reason. Just thought it would be a good time.” Tony shrugged. Rhodey narrowed his eyes knowing Tony was lying to him. Tony groaned knowing Rhodey wasn’t going to drop it.  
“Well Steve texted me after my class, thanks for passing my number to him by the way, and asked me if I wanted to meet up tonight at the library. Long story short, I don’t want to be alone with him so I want you to be there so we don’t make any eye contact,” Tony explained.  
“No,” Rhodey said immediately.  
“Why not? Rhodey please,” Tony practically begged.  
“No Tony. You need to go alone. You’re never going to bond with your soulmate if I’m there playing brick wall,” Rhodey told him.  
“Rhodey for all we know I was wrong and the voice in my head was just a coincidence. I mean who knows for sure that Steve is my soulmate,” Tony tried to reason. Rhodey shook his head.  
“Looks like you’re going to have to go and find out then.”  
Tony rolled his eyes and laid down on his bed. He could already tell tonight was going to be an absolute hell.

Tony stared at the library debating if he should just head back to his dorm. He could always just block Steve’s number and never see him again. Though Tony had a feeling Rhodey would be on Steve’s side for this. With a final deep breath Tony made his way into the library.  
The library was always a strange place to Tony. He was never one for a place that encouraged people to be quiet as they could be. As well with the fact that most of the people in there were either working very hard, looked on the verge of breaking down, or doing anything but the work they had. Nevertheless, Tony started walking around and looking for Steve.  
He found Steve, who already had most of his stuff out, sitting in a more secluded part of the library. Tony ignored his nerves building up and made his way to the cute blonde.  
“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting,” Tony greeted as he sat down. Steve looked up and flashed him a smile.  
“It’s no problem. I’ve just been trying to figure out these problems is all.” Tony looked down at the problem Steve was talking about.  
“Can I?” Tony said quietly. Steve nodded and pushed the paper towards him. Tony grabbed one of his pencils and started making some notes. He moved the paper back so Steve could see what Tony was talking about.  
“Your biggest mistake is that you’ve been using the wrong formula. What you’re looking for is molality, but you’ve been using the Molarity formula. So instead of moles over liters you’re going to want to look for moles over kilograms.”  
Steve nodded along, but Tony could see the small confusion on his face. He started writing some stuff down hoping it would help Steve out.  
“I know the words are really similar, but there is a difference between the two. To know it’s Molarity you would see a capital M as it’s symbol. Though for molality you would use the lowercase M. It can be a bit confusing, but after a bit more practice it’ll be easier to tell which formula you’re using,” Tony told him. He hoped he wasn’t go fast and Steve was actually keeping up with what he was saying.  
“So I have to change the formulas for all of them?”  
“Not all of them. Just these three. This first one is correct.”  
Steve nodded and took the paper back. Tony watched as he changed out the formula and reattempted the questions.  
“Okay for that one, you’re gonna want to convert,” Tony said. He could feel Steve glancing on him, but ignored it and just stared at the paper.  
It was going to be a long night.  
Surprisingly, Tony was wrong. There were times during the night where he wanted to just die, but overall he had a fun time. And he managed to avoid eye contact all night which was a big plus.  
“I think I’m gonna head out now,” Steve announced as he stood up, “I promised my friend I would meet up with him tonight.”  
Tony nodded and started packing his stuff up as well. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed Steve was leaving, but he knew it was for the best.  
“Can we meet up again tomorrow?” Steve asked.  
“Yeah. I should be free tomorrow.”  
“Great. How about dinner? My treat.” Steve offered. Tony stopped and glanced at him.  
“That’s not necessary,” Tony rejected.  
“It’s the least I could do for this.”  
“No really it’s fine Steve. You don’t have to thank me.”  
“Okay if you don’t want dinner as a thank you, how about I just take you out for dinner?” Steve asked. Tony was very thankful he posed it as a question and didn’t leave him without a choice. However, he froze when he finally processed the question.  
“Wait, are you asking me out? On a date?” Tony asked hoping he didn’t look scared or anything. Because Tony Stark wasn’t scared of being asked out by Steve Rogers. No one bit.  
Steve raised an eyebrow at him. “Why do you sound so surprised? I’m allowed to take my soulmate out.”  
“I’m not your soulmate,” Tony said immediately. Now Steve looked really confused, but also hurt by this.  
“Yes you are. I heard your voice back in the café,” Steve said. Tony shook his head.  
“No, I mean I am your soulmate, but I’m saying I shouldn’t be. Like I’m an actual mess and think that you deserve a lot better and should have a chance with someone who is actually able to function well and doesn’t have to live off of coffee. I don’t mind ignoring this whole thing. Hell I’ll even help you find someone good for you. I know a few guys that would make a much better choice for you. Or even girls if you want,” Tony rambled.  
“Tony I respect what you’re trying to do, but I don’t think that’s your choice to make,” Steve said. Tony stopped talking and stared at him in shock.  
“What?”  
“You said I should have a chance with someone better. I want you to know that I want a chance with you. No one else,” Steve told him sincerely.  
“You’ll hate it,” Tony said quietly. Steve hesitated before moving and holding Tony’s hands in his own.  
“Let me decide that,” He whispered. Tony reluctantly looked up at the taller man. Those damn blue eyes. Tony loved the feeling he got when he looked into them, even though he knew he shouldn’t.  
Please  
Tony heard the voice again. Only this time he knew it belonged to the man standing right in front of him. The man who looked hopeful and a little scared for Tony to say anything.  
Okay. One date.  
Tony didn’t regret his answer when he saw the huge smile break out on Steve’s face.  
“One date,” Steve nodded, “and if you don’t like I’ll stay away from you.”  
“I think you’re gonna be the one that won’t like it,” Tony said truthfully.  
“I highly doubt that,” Steve said. And Tony knew better to believe that, but the genuine voice Steve had made it difficult.  
“So tomorrow night?” Tony asked. Steve nodded.  
“Yeah. Six sound good?” Steve asked. His smile now a grin.  
“Sounds good,” Tony agreed.  
“Great, but I really do have to go. So see you tomorrow and I’ll call you later,” Steve told him. Tony nodded.  
Before he left Steve ducked down a little and gave Tony a kiss on the cheek. Tony could feel himself flush. He never had anyone be that gentle with him.  
“Is that okay?” Steve asked.  
“It’s perfect.” Tony told him. He was surprised to see that he actually meant it.  
Steve smiled again. This one a shy one. Tony realized how much he loved to see Steve Rogers and his different smiles.  
“Goodnight Tony,” He said gently. Tony felt his face heat up again as Steve pressed another kiss to his cheek before walking away.  
As Tony walked out of the library he finally checked his phone. He laughed quietly to himself when he noticed how many texts he had from Rhodey.

Honeybear: How’s “studying” going?  
Honeybear: Wow. Ignore me. Not like I’m not your best friend.  
Honeybear: I have a small feeling Steve killed you or you are willingly ignoring me  
Honeybear: If you ignored me this whole time and tell me that you didn’t give Steve a chance I will cry.

Tony could barely hold in his laughter as he read Rhodey’s texts. He called him as he made his way back to their dorm.  
“So he lives,” Rhodey says after immediately picking up. Tony rolled his eyes and grinned.  
“Hello to you too Honeybear,” He greeted.  
“So how did it go? Was I right or do I have to kick Steve’s ass?”  
“It was fine. We studied and before he left the soulmate thing was brought up. He also asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him tomorrow night,” Tony informed.  
“That’s great Tones. Told you it would work out,” Rhodey said, sound a little smug.  
“I know. I just hope it goes will,” Tony said shyly.  
“It will. And if Rogers hurts you at all I will kill him,” Rhodey said. Tony laughed as the deadpanned voice he had.  
“I know Platypus. I’m on my way back to the dorm now. See you soon,” tony said.  
“See you in a bit Tony,” Rhodey said before hanging up. Tony put his phone away and continued his walk.  
He didn’t get very far before he felt his phone go off. He took it out to see he was getting multiple texts from Steve.

Steve: Hey! Um not to worry you or anything, but I think James might kill me  
Steve: Mainly because I’m taking his best friend out on a date tomorrow night  
Steve: Never mind. He’s not trying to kill me  
Steve: But I have been warned that if I hurt you in any way I’ll never live to see another day.  
Steve: Which is fair because if I did hurt you I would want someone to hurt me.  
Tony: I’m not worth getting hurt for  
Steve: I’ll be the judge of that.

Tony shook his head at the messages. Steve Rogers was truly something else. Something great. And Tony was over the moon that Steve actually wanted to go on a date with him and attempt the whole soulmate thing. All Tony had to do is not fuck up tomorrow evening.

Which, to be honest, was a lot easier said than done.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're confused this is an AU where soulmates can here each others thoughts by making eye contact.
> 
> This is the longest thing I've written, but I'm kind of proud of it. So I hope you liked!!


End file.
